Bevietv of levieics, l/i/lS. 



LEADING ARTICLES. 



169 



EFFECT ON RUSSIAN POLICY. 

 At different times Russia has pro- 

 tested against the closing of the Straits, 

 dictated by England and France, which 

 Article 63 of the Treaty of Berlin, con- 

 firming the Convention of London, 

 maintained. The sole object of the 

 stipulation having been to prevent a 

 Russian descent on Constantinople, it 

 has had a decisive influence on Russian 

 policy. Having lost Constantinople, 

 Russia threw herself upon Asia, and 

 for half a century has been concentrat- 

 ing her energies on Asiatic conquest in 

 order to discover outlets to free seas. 

 Notwithstanding her defeat by Japan, 

 her principal aim will continue to be 

 the economic conquest of Western and 

 Central Asia. 



CONSTANTINOPLE AT BULGARIA'S MERCY. 

 Meanwhile two new States, Bulgaria 

 and Roumania, have come along to 

 modify the situation, and another 

 Power, Austria-Hungary, has gained an 

 entrance into the Black Sea by he- free 

 navigation on the Danube. It is now 

 inadmissible that Bulgaria should re- 

 main bottled up in the Euxine. In the 

 near future she will have a fleet and will 

 require to enter the vEgean. Roumania 

 also will probably develop her military 

 and naval forces. When the Straits 

 were first closed it was regarded as a 

 guarantee of safety to shut up Russia 



Le CharirariJ [Paris. 



WOE TO THE VAJ^QUTSHKD. 

 Turkey;' "My good friends, st^ip tlie firiiifr." 

 The Powers: "What will you g-ive us as ' bak- 

 Bheesh ' ?" 



in the Black Sea. To-day, France and 

 England having become the allies and 

 friends of Russia, the latter Power is in 

 no danger from the Mediterranean side. 

 The opening of the Straits would not 

 make it easier for Bulgaria to destroy 

 the balance of power in the Euxine, for 

 when she has a fleet concentrated in the 

 Black Sea she could if she wished easily 

 cross the Bosphorus and bombard Con- 

 stantinople. Whether the Straits are 

 open or closed, Constantinople is at the 

 mercy of Bulgaria, 



The Triple Alliance could hardly re- 

 fuse to open the Straits. If the Alliance 

 objected that the descent on the Medi- 

 terranean of Russia and Bulgaria would 

 compromise the balance of power in the 

 Mediterranean, it would be easy to reply 

 that the balance in the Mediterranean 

 had been disturbed by the Alliance, 

 owing to the increase in the Austrian 

 Navy, the appearance of Servia in the 

 Adriatic, and the probability that Servia 

 will one day have a fleet. If the Triple 

 Entente cannot oppose any increase of 

 the Austrfian forces, neither can the 

 Triple Alliance prevent the opening of 

 the Straits and its natural consequences. 



The Convention of 1841 is of no fur- 

 ther use, except to figure in a museum 

 of past diplomacy. The new charter 

 for the Dardanelles should be similar 

 to that stipulated for the Suez Canal by 

 the Convention of Constantinople, 

 October 29th. 1888. By it the Suez 

 Canal is open at all times, even in time 

 of war, to the ships of all nations, even 

 belligerents. No act of hostility may 

 take place in its ports of access or 

 within a radius of three miles. Special 

 very severe regulations have been made 

 regarding the i:)assage of warships of 

 belligerent nations. If to these mea- 

 sures was added the obligation of the 

 nations occupying the shores to pull 

 down all existing fortifications and not 

 erect any more within a certain radius, 

 and if the general policing of the 

 Straits was entrusted to a European 

 (Commission, the Dardanelles and the 

 Bosphorus, like the Suez Canal, might 

 be free at all times to ships of all 

 countries, and there would be no danger 

 of such freedom of navigation being 

 compromised. 



